Neural responses in retrosplenial cortex associated with environmental alterations

Abstract

SummaryThe retrosplenial cortex (RSC) is an area interconnected with regions of the brain that display spatial correlates. Neurons in connected regions may encode an animal’s position in the environment and location or proximity to objects or boundaries. RSC has also been shown to be important for spatial memory, such as tracking distance from and between landmarks, contextual information, and orientation within an environment. For these reasons, it is important to determine how neurons in RSC represent cues such as objects or boundaries and their relationship to the environment. In the current work, we performed electrophysiological recordings in RSC, whereas rats foraged in arenas that could contain an object or in which the environment was altered. We report RSC neurons display changes in mean firing rate responding to alterations of the environment. These alterations include the arena rotating, changing size or shape, or an object being introduced into the arena.